Playing-cards.



W. A. HAMMETT.

PLAYING CARDS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. so, 1909.

972,371} v Patented Och-11,1910.

fig JAN ARY 190i 3 MARCH 1910? at month, 51 days. Third month,31dnys. Z i I f (Historical extracts here.)

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Wihwoom attoonup UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. HAMME'IT, OF CORSICANA, TEXAS.

PLAYING-CARDS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. HAMMETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Corsicana, in the county of Navarro and State of Texas, have invented new and useful PlayingCards, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to games and has special reference to games played with cards, the object of the invention being to provide a pack of cards with which may be played a game that can be readily learned, and which will afford instruction as well as amusement.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a pack of cards peculiarly inscribed, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and hereinafter first fully described and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

I11 the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a card which is one of the counters in the game played with the deck embodying my invention. Fig. 9. is a similar View of a card which has a trick winning value but no 'point making value in itself. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a distinctive card which, in the use of the deck, is designated as trophy.

A complete deck embodying my invention comprises 48 cards each, one of which is inscribed with the name of a month, as indicated at l in the drawings, and also with a number designating a year, as shown at 2, the complete deck thus covering a period of four years, and any period of four years may be designated on the cards, but the highest numbered year must be a leap year. The month and year abbreviated are printed in the left corner at either end so as to form the usual squeezer as at 9. The cards are divided transversely at their centers by a dash or similar mark 3, and the two ends of the cards will be preferably provided with duplicated inscriptlons. Below the name of the month and the number of the year will be inscribed in small comparatively inconspicuous type the number of the month and the number of days contained in the said month. For instance, in Fig. 1 is illustrated the card representing the month of January, 1909, and immediately below the word January and the number 1909 appears the phrase First month, 81 days, as shown at 4. Below but near the squeezer on the card representing the month Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 30, 1909.

Patented Oct.

Serial No. 515,279.

of January will appear a large numeral, which as shown at 5 in Fig. 1, is the numeral 1, the said numeral designating the order in the year of the general holiday occurring in the month denoted by the card. In the month of January, the first day is New Years day and is a general holiday, and, consequently, a large numeral 1 will a pear on the card representing the month of anuary, inasmuch as New Years day is the first holiday in the year. The numeral will be placed near one edge of the card and between the numeral and the opposite edge of the card will appear a picture illustrating the holiday occurring in the month designated by the card, the picture appearing in the drawings on the card representing the month of January being an allegorical illus tration of the passing of the year 1908 and the coming of the year 1909. The month of February contains the second holiday in the year an the card representing that month will show a large numeral 2 in the same position as the large numeral 1 is shown in Fig. 1 and will be appropriately inscribed to illustrate the said holiday which is VVashingtons Birthday. A portrait of President Washington will he usually chosen for the illustration. The cards. representing the months of May, July, September, November and December will be inscribed with large numerals 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, as these months each contain a general holiday. These holidays are, respectively, Decoration Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas and corresponding illustrations will be placed on the cards representing the months in which the holidays severally appear. The month of March contains no regular general holiday, and the card designating the said month will not have the numeral or picture upon its face, but will be inscribed with some historical reference which will preferably be of such character as to convey information as to the origin of the names of the months. The months of April, June, August and October may be likewise represented by cards containing historical references and extracts, but it is not necessary to illustrate all of the separate cards in order to convey a complete understanding of my invention.

It will be understood that Fig. 1, showing a card representing January, 1909, is typical of all cards denoting months in which holidays occur and that the showing in Fig.

I which there are no holidays.

The card representing the month of February in leap-year will be inscribed with a large numeral 29, as indicated at 5 and will bear an appropriate leap-year illustration 7 such as a woman proposing to a man. The Word Trophy will also appear on this card.

The cards constituting my improved deck have been employed in playing a game called Leap year and a game called Holiday. In playing Leap year the complete deck is used and after being shuflled the players, either two or four, as the case may be, cut the deck in the manner usual with card players, the player exposing the lowest card, that is the card designating the earliest date, becoming the dealer. The cards are now dealt one at a time successively to the several players until each player has six cards. The dealer then turns the end card face upward on the remaining pile of cards and the year designated on the card thus turned is trumps until the deck is exhausted. If the card turned for trumps should be a card representing the month of July, the dealer is entitled to immediately place to his credit four years for game (48 points). The dealer leads by playing some card to the table and the players in order to the left of the dealer follow either by playing cards designating the same year or the same month as the one led. If the player whose turn it is to play has no cards of either the year or month led he may play any card. Should he play a trumpron the card led he must at the same time say I am shy. The cards thus played constitute a trick and the latest month of the year led played to the trick wins, the cards of years other than the year led having no trick-winning value exceptas a trump or under the conditions governing the play of the trophy card. If a trump card has been played it will, of course, win the trick but no player may rightfully play a trump if he has a card of the year or the month led. If no trumps are played on the trick and no player plays a later month of the year led, then the leader of the trick wins the same. Should some player play a card representing any February previous to the turn of the player holding trophy then the holder may play trophy and that card Will win over any other card. The winner of the trick leads and the play is repeated until the first hand is exhausted when the dealer Will distribute the remaining cards as before. The player having the lead, however, may call for cards immediately preceding the playing of his last card of the first hand, in which event the dealer will deal the remaining cards after placing the trump card in the middle of the deck. After the cards have all been played, each player counts his points. The points represent so many months and must therefore be divided by 12 to ascertain the number of years for game. Thus if a player has 88 points he gets 7 years for game losing the fraction. A game is for 28 years (7 leap years). Points are designated by the large numeral appearing on the cards representing months containing holidays and the count is equal to the value of the numeral appearing on the card, the other cards having a trick-winning but no point-counting value. For instance, the card representing the month of January contains the large numeral 1, and each January card in a trick will, therefore, count one point so that if the trick should contain four January cards the trick will be worth four points to the winner of the same. The trophy will win over everything when played to a trick where a February has been previously played and when it is the only trump card played to a trick of course it wins the trick. hen the trophy is led and no player follows suit with a later month of the same year, the trophy wins. Should the leader play a month subsequent to February in the leap year, the trophy will be drawn out and lost to the one to whom it was dealt if the holder thereof does not hold any other card of the year led or a corresponding month to the one that was led unless a February be played to the trick previous to the turn of the holder of the trophy.

The game called Holiday is played with twenty-eight cards, only those cards containing general holidays being used. The counters are the January, July, Dememher and the trophy cards, their respective values being 1, 4, 7 and 29, making a total of 77. The game is 365 points, (the days in an ordinary year). The deck being shuffled and the deal determined, the cards are dealt one to each player until the deck is exhausted. After the deal each player bids for the privilege of naming trumps, beginning to the left of the dealer and continuing in order, the dealer having the last bid. The lowest permissible bid is 29 and a player cannot change his bid. The highest bid wins the privilege of naming the trump which may be any year represented in the game, or some month may be named as trump instead of the year. February, however, is not eligible as a trump-month. If the trump named is a year, the successful bidder must lead trumps to the first trick, but if the trump named is a month the leader may lead according to his own pleasure. lVhen a month is made trumps, the months of the same name are of the trump suit and the trump of the most advanced year played to a trick wins. When a year is made trumps, the months of the same year are of the trump suit and the latest month of the trump year played to a trick Wins. The

trophy, however, Wins regardless of trumps but is subject to the rules explained in playing the game called Leap year. If the bidder fails to make as many points as those bid he will forfeitthe points made and the adversaries score 77. Should the successful bidder and his partner Win the number of points bid, each player Will score his actual count. WVhen the players are not partners, the bidder is reduced the amount oi his bid if he fails to make the number of points bid for trumps and will lose the points he may have Won in that hand; other players each score the actual number of points Won. When trumps are led trumps must follow suit When held. If no trumps are held the player must follow With either the year or month that led. It Will be understood, of course, that other rules may be made so as to vary the games Which may be played with the cards.

The cards constituting my improved deck Will be easily made and readily understood and Will prove instructive as Well as amusing.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is 1. A pack of game-cards composed of occurring in that month, the numbered cards each having allegorical pictures typical of its holiday, and the unnumbered cards having historical extracts.

2. A pack of game-cards representing suc cessive months for a period of years ending with a leap-year, squeezers consisting of abbreviations of the month and year, certain of the cards having adjacent their squeezers large numerals designating the order in the year of the general holiday occurring in that month.

8. A pack of gamecards composed of fortyeight cards representing successive months for a period of four years ending With a leap-year, squeezers consisting of abbreviations of the months and year, certain of the cards having adjacent their squeezers large numerals designating the order in the year of the general holiday occurring in that month and the February card of leap-year having 29 at this point, the numbered cards each having an allegorical picture typical of its holiday, the unnumbered cards having historical extracts, and the leap-year card having an allegorical picture typical of a Woman proposing to a man.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

WALTER A. HAMMETT.

Witnesses:

W. W. EVANS, HUGH A. MCPI-IAILL. 

